Eagletarian Blog

Eagles quarterback Michael Vick does not have a broken right hand, coach Andy Reid said today.

“Michael Vick has a hand contusion. Not a break. We had a few different shots taken of his hand yesterday during the game. The early clips showed that there was no break. The ones that came back when he was on the field showed that there was a potential fracture there. Today he had a scan and it showed there was no break. It was a blood vessel sitting above the bone. That happens at times with X-rays. The blood vessel makes it look like it was a fracture. There is still a bunch of swelling. It is sensitive to the touch. The positive is there is not a fracture there.”

As to whether he will play against San Francisco, “We will see how he does over the next couple of days. We have to get the swelling where it is manageable and he feels comfortable.”

Reid said the swelling is about the same as yesterday. “He’s pretty relieved about it,” Reid said. “That’s a good thing. It’s a positive thing that it was not a break … He always wants to play. That’s how he is.”

Reid did not respond directly to a question about Vick’s concerns that penalties were not being called when he was being hit.

“His best interest is always in my mind, when he’s on the football field, in particular,” Reid said. “I know he’s a marked man. I think it’s important that we all keep a close eye on him.”

As to whether Reid would call the league about issues related to Vick. “We’ll see,” Reid said.

Reid said he could not answer why Vick did again not appear to be wearing a mouthpiece. “I can’t tell you that,” he said.

Reid said wide receiver Jeremy Maclin is day-today with a hamstring strain. “Initially we thought it was more significant than that. It is tender right now. The MRI came back and it wasn’t a negative thing there.”

In other injuries, Brandon Hughes (hamstring strain), Daryl Tapp (pectoral) is “getting closer,” Riley Cooper (concussion), Juqua Parker (high ankle sprain). Reid said he did not think Vince Young was ready to play, but he was going to continue rehabbing the injured hamstring. Reid described him as “being very close physically.”

**

Reid defended offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg when asked if he would be relieved of playcalling duties.

“C’mon. You guys are killing me. Please.”

“Is that a no?”

“That is something you don’t have to worry about. I think Marty is very good.”

Asked a question about how defensive coordinator Juan Castillo was handling the loss, Reid said, “I think we all need to work together, as coaches and players and all as one. That’s very important for this team right now. Old, young, new …

We all spent a lot of time doing our job. I said this before, losses should hurt. You learn from them and then in this league, you have to get rid of them. There is a period there where it’s not a great feeling … It’s not real fun. I can’t tell you this is the most fun I have in a day right here, explaining how not fun it is to not win a football game.”

**

On linebacker Casey Matthews still being a starter, Reid said, “ I haven’t gotten there and probably not going to go there with you on that.”

On the injuries to the wide receivers and whether they might need to make a roster move, Reid said, “We’ll see how they do physically there … we might have to make something happen there if a bunch of guys are out.”

On the penalties on the offensive line: “There definitely were cadence issues. We all have to be on the same page. I will put that in my category there of things I have to do a better job with it.”

Are you convinced you have the right players? “We’re going to keep working. Try to get that right and make sure we all do our jobs a little bit better.“

On the fourth-and-1 call: “I changed the momentum of the game in the opposite direction. I take full responsibility for that. I will get better and we will get better.”

Published: September 26, 2011 — 12:06 PM EDT
Philadelphia Daily News

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